Mammalfesto
by IronicSnap
Summary: Five figures from Zootopia, in their own words. 300 each, to be precise.
1. Judy Hopps

Some day, I'll make a difference.

I know I already have. I'm not an idiot (even if I have my moments). And I know what they tell me.

"Carrots, don't wear yourself out." "Judy, your shift doesn't start for over an hour!" "Hopps, if you don't take your damn vacation days I'll _suspend_ you instead, don't think I won't."

And they're right. I've already done so much. I protected the city. I stopped Bellwether. I showed the world that anyone really _can_ be anything. And the looks I get from kids, not just rabbits but foxes and rodents and all kinds of mammals... they're priceless. I know my worth.

But I'm not done. Take one look at the news and tell me the world is _fixed_. There's so much injustice, so much needless pain! Sometimes I lay awake at night, my blood boiling at how people can just be so... _agh!_

It's tough. As a cop, you see so many problems you can't solve. Too big, too old, too terrible. Things out of your control... out of everybody's. It breaks my heart every time. Maybe I'm soft.

But whenever I get upset, or discouraged – and yes, I do have those days... I just look at Nick, and then everything makes sense. His bravery, his intelligence, his _compassion_ in forgiving me, when I had hurt him so badly... that's what gives me strength. He's always so humble. Says he wouldn't be where he is without me. I guess that's true. But he should realize it works both ways.

I've done a lot. But I'm ready to do so much more. And when my time is up, and people remember what I did, I have one goal. Everyone will look at my life and say:

"Judy Hopps did nothing but her best."


	2. Nick Wilde

Some day, I'll know what I'm doing.

I used to. For most of my life, I knew _exactly_ what I was doing. I just didn't like doing it.

There'd be mornings where I'd be looking over the itinerary for the day, the expenditure, the timetable, the projected revenue, all the necessary planning and paperwork – my own small business – and I'd suddenly find myself wondering what the hell it was all for. Survival? You make money today so you're still alive tomorrow. You need to be alive tomorrow to make enough money to get to the day after. This petty pace from day to day...

Early on, it made sense. It was for my mom. I had to pull my weight, or I'd be letting her down. But the years passed and I _had_ pulled my weight, and she was okay, and I was... alive. Sort of. If you can call that miserable existence 'living'.

Now things are so different. Good different. I look at myself in the mirror, and you know what? I actually _like_ the guy I see. What a weird feeling, huh? Miracles really can happen, when you meet the right people. Hallelujah.

But a new life means new problems. First and foremost these days is... uncertainty. Do I really have what it takes to be the ZPD's first fox? To represent my whole _species_ like this? Every mistake I make looms over me. It's paralysing.

Honestly, I'm just following Judy's lead. And don't get me wrong – you'll never find a better role-model. I'd follow her anywhere. She's earned that, and more. But her style isn't _my_ style. I want to figure out this cop thing for myself. I need to.

"Officer Nicholas Wilde". Still getting used to that. But it has a good ring, wouldn't you say?


	3. Chief Bogo

Some day, I'll be finished.

I don't know whether or not I'm looking forward to that. Honestly thought I'd be dead years ago. That's not melodrama. As a city cop, it's realism.

There's an order to this; a mathematical curve of mortality. Rookies are fairly safe. Older officers tend to keep an eye out for them, and they're _supposed_ to stick to quieter beats like parking duty. At that point, the biggest source of danger is your own damn stupidity, as _some_ of my officers can attest.

Then you work up the ranks. Meatier cases. Homicides, drug-running. Gangs. That's when it gets dangerous. When you find yourself thinking like a soldier, treating your own neighbourhood as a warzone.

But if you continue – if you impress the brass, get promoted – you're sheltered from the war. You're out of the trenches and put behind a desk.

I've _never_ trusted people who get into policework so they can sit at a desk.

Don't misunderstand. There are some damn good people at desks these days. There's honour to, say, working front lobby. Doing it with pride.

No. I mean a different kind of desk. An opulent office with a fancy view. An expensive chair. Comfort.

I hate a lot of my job. I hate press conferences. I hate disciplining my idiot officers. I hate that I always have to be solid stone, a fixed point for everyone else. Yes, I happen to be naturally terrifying, but a little _flexibility_ would be nice.

But I like that I hate it. I don't want complacency. The world is broken, and delicate hands won't fix it.

When I go, I'm leaving a mark. This department will remember Chief Bogo... even if half the people here don't know my first name. I intend to keep it that way.


	4. Leodore Lionheart

Some day, they'll understand.

I'm not upset. I don't blame them. I can't! I broke the law and got caught. Now I'm in jail. That's how it goes.

I made my arguments – first in court, then to the press. There's nothing I can do now except stand by them.

I'm actually feeling pretty zen about the whole thing. Juggling being the Mayor with secretly handling an impossible crisis was easily the most stressful thing I've ever done. Now I'm in prison, I have barely anything to worry about! It's very liberating, ironically enough.

I _do_ wish more people appreciated the whole... "letter of the law, spirit of the law" thing. Did I hire a team of mercenaries to kidnap citizens suffering from an unknown disease in a clandestine operation specifically designed to hide information from the public? Yes. Yes I did. Does it sound terrible when you phrase it that way? Of course it does! But my heart was in the right place, I swear.

It's out of my paws now. And I make no apologies for my actions. I weighed the options and decided on my course of action. I knew what I was doing, and what was at stake. Sure, it's a little disappointing I'm behind bars instead of winning accolades for my quick action and tactful planning. But it's not like I didn't see this coming.

Look. Zootopia is the greatest city in the world. Wouldn't blame you for thinking that's just spin, but I honestly believe that. And you don't become Mayor of the _world's greatest city_ unless you're willing to make tough calls!

Hard to know what they'll write about Leodore Lionheart in the history books. But hey, I know for a fact I'll be in 'em! And that's more than most can ever say.


	5. Dawn Bellwether

Some day, I'll return.

Maybe not soon. Maybe not even within my own lifetime. My plan was ruined, but someone else could easily succeed where I failed. You know what they say about ideas. They're bulletproof.

People have always been divided. In ancient times, predator and prey were separate. When they "came together" and founded Zootopia, they were still separate. When Lionheart rose to power with his slogan that anyone could become anything – carefully crafted populist rhetoric, never doing any good for people like _me_ – they were _still_ separate.

And just because Judy Hopps and her lanky friend put me in prison, that doesn't change anything. They're still _separate_.

Anywhere you find intelligent life, you find it divided into two or more groups... one of which is just _more_ intelligent. My philosophy is simple: why not let the smartest people take their rightful place at the top? Why pretend we're all _equal_ when that just drags the best and brightest down?

That idea will never die. It can't. And while the Judy Hoppses of this world live their little lives, wrapped up in their feel-good politics, it'll only grow stronger. Sensible people, the silent majority, will sense something's wrong. Then all it'll take is one strong leader to galvanize that energy. To show the dreamers just how foolish they are.

Their world is nonsense. It's a fantasy! An illogical pipe dream that'll never actually materialize. My world would put order on the chaos. A clear chain of command from most to least deserving. What's so wrong with that?! It's just common sense!

But hey. Let's not be defeatist! Sure, I'd _take_ an abstract philosophical victory... but I've always been a practical gal. I may be imprisoned, but my mind is as free as ever.

Don't relax. Dawn Bellwether isn't done.


End file.
